The Prince's Mother
by Jingle For Goldfish
Summary: Twilight Princess universe, although you don't need to be familiar with the game. Prince Ralis has a request for Link… and it could turn out to be more dangerous than either of them realizes. Action, drama, li'l family fluff.
1. Chapter 1

_Hey, sports fans. Here's a Zelda fic for your reading enjoyment! It's got action! It's got adventure! It's got intrigue! It's got LINK. And it's TWO WHOLE CHAPTERS LONG! (That's right—I've got the whole thing written, although I'm going to wait a few days before posting Part 2. Bwahahahaha.)_

_So this is set in the TP universe, with minor tweaks. It doesn't actually matter too much, though. I cover all the important character relationships in the exposition, so EVEN IF YOU DON'T KNOW TWILIGHT PRINCESS (OR EVEN ZELDA FOR THAT MATTER) YOU SHOULD READ ON._

_Pandering for readership?_

_…Maybe._

_

* * *

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The Prince's Mother

It was some time after dark. The children had gone to sleep hours ago, but the adults were staying up for a few beers and some light conversation, Link among them. Rusl had arrived from Ordon just after supper. A few weeks ago, the children of Ordon—including Rusl's own son, Colin—had been kidnapped by dark creatures appearing out of nowhere. When he received word that they were safe and under the protection of Renado, the shaman of Kakariko Village, he made the journey to visit his son and generally check up on things.

Link hadn't realized until the moment his old mentor walked through the door, dripping head to foot from the relentless rainstorm, just how lonely he had been these past few weeks. Telma and Renado were unceasingly kind, of course, and there were the children to remind him of home, but they didn't make much conversation. Besides, the title of "representative from Ordon" seemed to have passed, unspoken, to Rusl, and Link had to admit he was glad. He might have been miffed by the arbitrary transfer of authority if he hadn't been so relieved to have some of his recent responsibilities lifted from his shoulders.

The four of them talked for a while as the rain continued to pound on the tin roof of Renado's house. Rusl updated Link on the goings-on of the village, and Link shared what he had learned about Ilia, the mayor's daughter, who was staying at Telma's bar in Castle Town. Rusl frowned to hear about her memory loss, but he seemed confident that she would regain it. "All she needs is a little motivation," he said. "A jump start. It may take some time, but eventually she'll see something, hear something, that will trigger old emotions. Something from her village, from someone she cares about…"

He didn't need to look at Link for it to be understood who he was talking about. Link felt his ears grow warm, and he looked down at the table.

Three full pitchers of ale had been emptied when Rusl clapped Link on the back and announced he was turning in for the night. The rest of the table rose with him. "I've set up a bed for you in my room," said Renado. "I'll show you."

Link followed Rusl up the stairs, but he paused at Ralis's door. "I'm just gonna check on Ralis," he said.

Rusl frowned. Ralis, the prince of the Zoras who lived north of Lake Hylia, had been injured in an attack on the Zora Domain not long ago. His mother, the queen, had been killed, but before her soul passed on, she had asked Link to make sure her son was safe. This had all been related to Rusl upon his arrival. Now, he sighed. "The boy's sick," he said. "He's going to heal just as soon whether you're watching him or not."

"I just want to check on him."

"You need your rest."

"I'll be quick."

Rusl gave him a reproving look, but he said, "Don't be up all night," and apparently satisfied by Link's earnest nod, he followed Renado to his room.

Even in sleep, Ralis looked troubled. His blue skin was tinged green, his eyes were creased shut, and his mouth was ajar. His breathing was quick and rasping, and the gills below his cheekbones were quivering, wide open, chapped and red from lack of use. Link lowered himself into a chair at the head of the bed. Ralis was whimpering. Having a nightmare, it seemed.

"Hush," said Link. He put a hand on the boy's forehead. "Hush, Ralis, it's okay. You'll be okay."

His skin was cold and rubbery, like a piece of seaweed hung to dry.

"You're okay, Ralis. It's all going to be okay."

Ralis turned his head. His eyelids fluttered. "L-Link?"

Link took his hand away, suddenly guilty. He hadn't meant to wake him.

Ralis slowly opened his eyes. He moaned softly. "Link," he said. "I'm glad… you're here."

Link smiled. "Go back to sleep, Ralis."

Ralis swallowed. "Water," he said.

Link reached behind him for the pitcher and glass on the nightstand. Ralis pulled himself to a sitting position and took the offered glass, sipping gently.

"How are you feeling?"

"Better," said Ralis. He attempted a weak smile. "Actually," he said, "I have a favor to ask."

"Sure," said Link. "Whatever you need."

Ralis licked his lips. "Promise you won't say no?"

Link paused. "Well, let's hear it, first."

"Take me to see my mother."

Link raised his eyebrows. "Your mother?"

"I have to go to her. Tonight. You have to take me."

"Ralis, your mother's—"

"Dead, I know." Ralis's eyes no longer looked glazed. They were deep and fierce. A warrior's eyes. "But you saw her, yes? After her death… She came to you. She told you to find me."

Link felt a pang in his chest. He couldn't deny this. "Yes, Ralis," he said. "But she's gone, now. Really gone."

Ralis shook his head. "No," he said. "I have to see—" He interrupted himself with a bout of violent coughing. Link leaned forward, concerned, but Ralis waved him away. "I have to see for myself," he said hoarsely.

"You're in no condition to go out there," said Link. "It's been pouring all day."

Ralis gave a quivering smile. "I like the water," he said. "Please, Link. If there's any chance she's still… still here, I have to see her. Talk to her. One last time." His breathing quickened. His fist, clenched around the comforter, started to tremble. "I promise, I won't leave my bed again. Just take me to her grave. I just have to know."

Link stared at the boy, small and weak under his blanket, but with the determination of someone much stronger. He had a feeling Ralis would go whether Link were with him or not. Link sighed. "Just this once," he said firmly. "And we have to be quick. Telma'd kill me if she found out I let you outside."

Ralis brightened visibly. He nodded. "It won't take long," he said.

As they stepped out onto the front porch, Ralis under cover of a cloak and Link with his lantern in hand, it was clear that the rain had worsened. It was falling in sheets, and Link could barely see the ground before him. He turned to Ralis. "This isn't a good idea."

Ralis shivered as an icy wind rolled through the covered porch. He gritted his teeth. "I don't care. I have to see her."

"All right," said Link. He wrapped an arm around Ralis's shoulders, his best effort to provide a little extra warmth, and the two of them set off across the village.

Ralis moved slowly but steadily. He clung to Link with both arms, his head tucked down out of the wind, and he didn't speak for the duration of their walk. Link took care to avoid potholes in the road that were gathering puddles. When the wind picked up, he stopped and clutched Ralis's head to his chest, shielding him before they continued. He didn't know much about how the Zora body functioned, but he could tell from the boy's short breathing and constant trembling that high winds and rain were not going to be conducive to his healing. They had just reached the mouth of the cemetery when Ralis's legs gave out. He collapsed against Link's hip.

"Ralis!" Link stood the boy back up. His legs shook violently, but they managed to support him.

"Sorry," whispered Ralis. "I'm fine. Let's keep going."

They made it to the end of the cemetery, and Link helped Ralis crawl through the narrow passage that led to the Zora family tomb. On the other side, they were protected on all sides by towering rock walls, and the wind was much less fierce. It was still raining, though, and it was still freezing.

Link got to his feet and helped Ralis up. Ralis's eyes shone at the sight of the tomb. Situated on the other side of a broad pool, it was tall and white, and it seemed to be giving off a soft glow in the darkness. "Mother," he breathed.

He released his hold on Link and took two steps forward before falling again to the ground. Link bent to help him, but Ralis pushed his hand away. "Mother!" he cried. "I'm here! Mother!"

The only sound was the wind whistling across the rocks high above them and the sound of rain striking the surface of the pool at their feet.

"She's gone, Ralis," Link said softly.

But Ralis would have none of that. "Mother!" he cried again. "_Mother_!"

His words echoed in the hollow air. His eyes became frantic. Before Link could register what was happening, Ralis had hauled himself to the edge of the pool and thrown himself in.

"Ralis!"

The boy surfaced, his teeth chattering, and he struck out toward the marble tombstone on the other side of the pool. "M-Mother," he sputtered.

He wasn't covering any distance. His limbs were too weak to carry him. He struggled for a moment to stay afloat, but he soon gave in to the welcoming depths of the pool. Link blanched as he fell out of sight.

"_Ralis_!" His voice rebounded off the stone walls, cracked and desperate. He scanned the water frantically, but Ralis's form was hard to make out. It was only a slightly darker blob in a sea of black, and it was growing fainter as the boy sank.

Link had barely reached his decision before he was stripping off his tunic and boots. He flung them unceremoniously to the side. In only his leggings, and without a second thought, he dove headfirst into the water.

Ralis was a Zora. He had gills. Link knew he could breathe perfectly well—he'd practically lived in a lake his whole life. But Link had no idea how deep this pool went, and if the boy passed out underwater, there was no telling if they would be able to reach him. He was still sick, and Zora or no Zora, he wasn't going to get any better lying unconscious at the bottom of a pool.

Link couldn't see a thing in the black water. He forced himself downward, striking out with all his strength, feeling the bubbles rush past him, and he knew he was moving quickly. But there was no sign of Ralis. His lungs began to burn, and he had to return to the surface.

He tossed his head out of the water, spluttering. Treading water, he looked for the spot where the boy had disappeared. He squinted into the depths for something, a trace of movement, a solid shape. But there was nothing.

He felt the adrenaline begin to course through his veins. He took three steadying breaths, then he filled his lungs and dove down again.

Ralis had to be here somewhere. He had submerged right here, and there was no current to pull him. He should have dropped straight down, unless…

Unless he was swimming.

Link jerked his torso in the direction of the tomb. Ralis couldn't have gotten very far, but if he was still struggling to see his mother, perhaps he had drifted this way, just slightly. Link kicked his legs as hard as they would go. His chest was feeling tight, and the pressure was building around his ears. He was far too deep at this point, and there was only so much further he could go. There was no sign of a floor yet.

He clenched his abs and commanded himself to find a bit more strength, to hold on for just a second more. Ralis was right here, he had to be _right here_, there was nowhere else for him to go—

And then—

There, just off to the right, a glimmer of blue-green. Link jackknifed in the new direction, and the glimmer became a finger, which was attached to a hand, and there was the thin, floundering arm.

Link grabbed Ralis by the wrist, pulled him forward, secured his own arm around the boy's chest, and kicked off for the surface. Despite the pounding in his ears, Link heard Ralis's voice, weak and pitiful.

"Link," he murmured. "Let me go."

He was awake. He'd be okay. Link kicked out harder, pulled faster with his free hand. His muscles ached. His head felt light. And his lungs… His lungs couldn't hold out any longer. They were about to burst. Involuntarily, he took a sharp breath through his nose, which he spluttered back out immediately. He took another automatic breath. The water swirled into his throat, splashed down into his lungs. He was fighting for consciousness. And still, there was no sign of the surface. No glimmer of moon, no stars.

And then his hand shot free into the icy air. Link's head followed. He drew in deeply, and again, he got mostly water. This time, though, there was a hint of oxygen. A bit of clarity returned to his brain. He kicked toward land. His legs were made of rubber. He breathed again. Air and water. He pulled with his free hand, kicked, pulled, kicked. Breathed. Spluttered. Kicked.

His hand knocked against the ground. The ledge was higher than expected. He swung his arm upward, but his fingers barely brushed the grass so far above his head. He felt a wave of panic. He couldn't reach. He couldn't get out. The water sloshing in his lungs was suffocating him. He might go unconscious at any moment, but he had to save Ralis. He had to make it out of here, for Ralis. He swung his arm up. Swung again. And again.

He felt dizzy, but he swung again. He couldn't even touch the grass, now. He swung again. His hand flopped uselessly against the muddy bank. His eyes rolled. He took another mouthful of water. He clutched Ralis against his chest and swung his arm one last time.

He barely had time to register the hand clamp his wrist against the dirt before everything went black.


	2. Chapter 2

_Here's Part 2! As always, feedback is highly appreciated. I'm still feeling pretty ambivalent about this story, so tell me if you like it! (Or, perhaps more importantly, tell me if you don't—did some corny line just make you roll your eyes and stop reading? Tell me before you go!)_

* * *

Ralis floated above him, a sad look on his face. "Link," he said. "You failed me."

"No," Link tried to say, but his throat was tied shut. He couldn't speak.

"You abandoned me." Ralis had tears in his eyes. They began to fall, plunking onto Link's face. "You left me. Just like my father left me, and my mother. Like _your_ father and mother."

Link tried again to speak, to apologize, but the words wouldn't come. He couldn't breathe. There was a sharp pain in his head. Ralis moved in front of him, but the tears continued to fall. There were so many of them. They covered Link's whole body, light and sharp and icy cold.

"You left me." Ralis punched him in the stomach.

_No_, thought Link.

"You abandoned me." He punched him again. Link felt like he had to vomit.

_No_.

"You _killed me_!" Ralis's face was contorted in anger, and he punched him again, just below the ribcage. This time, something came up, but it wasn't vomit. It was cold and wet—water.

_No!_

Ralis began to change. His face was still angry, but it was fading. He punched again, and Link spluttered more water. "Come back!" said Ralis.

_I'm sorry!_

"He's waking up!" said Ralis. "Come back to us, Link!" His voice was deeper now. His face had changed. Become longer. Paler. He punched him again.

The dam broke. Water gushed forth from Link's mouth, mixed with the foul taste of bile. Ralis's face was gone. There was a wall pressing into his side. It was soft. Grass.

Link threw up again. More water came out, and more bile. His eyes were open, but they felt fuzzy. He tried to roll onto his back, but something strong tightened around his arm, keeping him pinned to the side. Hands.

His chest was burning. He needed oxygen. Without his meaning to, his lungs opened up like a pair of Like-Likes and sucked the air in through his mouth and down his windpipe.

The stinging in his head, the burning in his chest, and the fuzziness in his eyes—it all disappeared, and everything was suddenly clear. He was lying in the muddy grass, on his side, and he was breathing. The air was glorious. He pushed himself to his hands and knees and tried to breathe again. Instead, he coughed. More water trickled from his mouth. He breathed in. He coughed. He breathed. He breathed again. He stared at the ground between his hands, and he became aware that it was still raining.

He sat back on his knees, breathing deeply, and feeling as if all his energy had been sucked from him.

There was a warm hand on his back. "Are you all right?"

He rolled his head to the side. It was Rusl. Link nodded, feebly.

Rusl put an arm around Link's head. He pulled him close. "Good gods," he breathed. "I really thought we'd lost you."

"I'm okay, Rusl."

"Can you stand up?"

Rusl helped him to his feet. His legs were shaky. All that swimming. That's right, he'd been swimming. He touched his right arm to his chest, but it felt empty. His eyes flew open.

"Ralis," he said. He meant to shout it, but his voice was hoarse and it came out as a mild croak. "Ralis," he said again, with a little more strength.

"He's fine," said Rusl.

"Ralis!"

"He's here," said Rusl. "He's fine. Look."

Rusl turned him around, and there were Telma and Renado. They had a bundle of blanket between them. A blue head stuck out of the top.

"Ralis!" said Link.

Ralis looked up. Met his eyes. "Link," he said softly.

Link found he could breathe again. He was deathly cold, and soaked to the bone. He remembered he was only wearing his leggings. "My clothes," he said, looking around. "Where are they?"

"Telma has them," said Rusl. "Here." He draped a cloak around Link's shoulders. It provided a small amount of warmth, but not much. "Are you okay to walk?"

"Yes," said Link.

"Then let's get back to the house. You'll freeze to death out here."

As they walked back across town, Link found his mind clearing and a small amount of strength returning to him. Every part of his body ached, but he could walk, and the queasiness in his stomach settled. He could look up without feeling dizzy.

Rusl's arm was tight around his shoulders, and he didn't move it until they were safe inside Renado's house. Without the howling wind and the pounding rain, things seemed unnaturally silent. Colin was standing by the hearth, tossing logs onto a crackling fire. He looked up when they entered.

"Link!"

"He's fine," said Rusl. "They're both fine."

Link was wrapped in a blanket and deposited in a chair before the fire. Ralis was on the other side of the hearth rug. His eyes were open, and he was staring vacantly into the fire.

"Are you okay?" said Link.

"She wasn't there," said Ralis quietly. "I thought for sure… she'd be there."

Link's heart sank. He didn't know what to say—or trust his voice to remain steady, for the boy's sake—so he didn't respond. He turned his attention to the dancing flames and allowed them to mesmerize him.

Before very long, Link felt the warmth returning to his fingertips, his legs, his torso. He sighed and sat back in the armchair, letting the heat envelop him. He became aware that he was still in his wet underclothes, and he asked Telma if he could go change. She hesitated, but there must have been some color returning to his cheeks because she eventually agreed.

It felt good to strip off the wet cloth and replace it with a dry shirt and leggings. Link looked at himself in the mirror. He looked a little more pale than usual, and there were dark circles under his eyes. His hair was still damp and fell in clumps around his face. He looked, as Uli would say, like death warmed over. He smoothed out his hair in an effort to look a little more composed. It didn't help much.

Rusl was waiting for him in the kitchen. He held a small mug. "Telma says to give you this," he said. "Should calm your nerves, or something."

Link took the mug gratefully. There was a very small amount of liquid at the bottom. It was warm and smelled delicious. He downed it in one sip and heaved a sigh, depositing the empty mug on the table.

"How are you feeling?" said Rusl.

"Better," said Link. "I was a little dizzy, but I'm okay now."

"How's your breathing?"

"Fine."

"Are you still cold?"

"No," said Link. "A little chilly, I guess, but I'm warming up." He held out his arm and shook the sleeve. "It helps to be dry."

Rusl nodded. He appeared to be thinking hard, struggling with something. His brow furrowed. He grabbed both of Link's shoulders and held him firmly. "You scared us all half to death," he said, and he gave Link a little shake. "Do you know that?"

Link's eyes widened, but he realized he shouldn't be surprised. He had very nearly drowned, after all, and almost gotten Ralis killed. He didn't answer.

"What in the gods' names were you thinking, taking a boy that sick outside on a night like this? The last thing he needs is cold and rain. You can't see a thing out there. It's no wonder you fell into that pool."

"We didn't fall," said Link. "We jumped."

Rusl gaped at him.

"Well, he jumped," Link said hurriedly. "And I jumped in after him. But we didn't fall—it was completely on purpose."

"You—he—_jumped_—? Why in the _gods' names_—"

"He wanted to see his mother," said Link.

Rusl stopped. "His mother?"

"He wanted to talk to her one last time. He was swimming out to her tomb, but he started to sink, so I went in after him."

"Link, his mother's dead," said Rusl. "You know that as well as he does."

"But she came to me."

Rusl hesitated.

"Ralis thought she might still be here."

"But you said she disappeared," said Rusl. "After you found Ralis, you said you went back to her tomb. She said she could rest peacefully, now that her son was safe. Right?"

"Yes," said Link.

"And did she return tonight?"

Link looked at the ground. Very softly, he said, "No."

Rusl considered this for a moment. "So you had no reason to believe she would?"

Link shook his head.

"Then why did you go, for the gods' sakes?"

"He asked me to," said Link.

Rusl narrowed his eyes, and the color rose in his cheeks. "He _asked_ you to?" Link was suddenly aware of the height advantage Rusl had over him, and the way he was clenching and unclenching his fists made Link just a little bit uncomfortable. He shrank under the glower. "I supposed you would have walked him clear back to Zora's Domain if he'd _asked you to_," Rusl said severely. "Use your head, boy! You knew she wasn't coming back. The kid is sick as a dog. It's pouring out. You can't honestly tell me this all seemed like a good idea to you!"

It hadn't seemed like a good idea, really, but he had done it, anyway. Why? "He's used to the water," Link said, realizing as the words came out just how lame it sounded. Nevertheless, he tacked on an explanatory, "He _is_ a Zora."

"Yes, he's used to the warm spring water above Lake Hylia," Rusl snapped. "Frigid air and stinging rain, however, he won't have had much experience with."

Link hung his head. It had been a stupid thing to do, that much was becoming more and more obvious. But he had known it was stupid from the beginning. So what was it that had convinced him? How had he been talked into such a dangerous mission, one whose goal would be so impossible to achieve?

The answer hit him, then, hit him so suddenly the space behind his eyes grew hot. He realized in the space of an instant that the whole thing had hardly been about Ralis at all, and he began to see what was so truly awful about the fact that he had failed. Link's skin grew cold, and he swallowed hard.

Rusl, seeing the change come over his face, cocked an eyebrow and said, "Well?"

How could Link explain it? He felt so horribly selfish. "Ralis's father is dead," he said tentatively, "and now his mother is, too. I don't think he has any other family. He's… he's all alone."

"And you figured getting him killed would be a good solution."

"No. I wanted him to see his mother." Link looked up, to see if Rusl understood, but Rusl was still watching him, waiting for him to continue, so Link turned his eyes downward again. "I wanted him to have one last happy memory with his mother before losing her forever. I just thought, if it had been me…" His voice cracked. He took a moment to steady himself, and then he said, very slowly, "If I had had the chance to see my mother, just one last time, I know I would have risked my life to do it. I would still give anything for the memory of her face… her smile. I don't have even that, and I just thought, maybe, if I could give that to Ralis, maybe it would be like…" He took a quavering breath. "I just… didn't want him to end up like me. Alone. No memories, nothing. Nobody left to…" He couldn't do it. He swallowed a lump the size of his fist and repeated, in a soft voice, "Nobody."

There was a long silence. Link stared at the ground, feeling more miserable than he had all night. Because that was the truth of it, he knew now. He had wanted to give Ralis the memory of his mother. And he'd failed. And now Ralis would be just like him, alone in the world, orphaned, no family, no one to be close to, without even a last smiling image of his mother to help him sleep at night.

"Nobody?" repeated Rusl. His voice no longer sounded angry—just tired, even a little sad…

Without warning, he dealt Link a swift cuff in the head, just behind the temple. Link touched his head and stared at him. "Ow!"

"Idiot," Rusl murmured. Then he wrapped both arms around Link and pulled him into a fierce embrace. Link was slack with surprise, but when he recovered, he felt his eyes prick with tears, and he found himself returning the hug, holding on desperately… to what? He didn't know.

Rusl put a hand on the back of his head and held it gently. His hand was warm, and his hold was secure. Link choked out a strangled sob, and then another.

"Nobody," Rusl said again. "Who showed you how to ride a horse? Who gave you your first sword? Who has clothed and fed you all these years, taught you everything you know, how to fish, how to hunt? Let you live in his house? Raised you as his own son?" Rusl pulled away and held Link at arm's length. The boy's eyes were pink and glistening. "You have never been anything less than a son to me, Link," Rusl said firmly. "Or to Uli. Or a brother to Colin. We are your family, and we always have been. So don't you ever, _ever_ let me hear you say you don't have anybody, you understand? I'll tan your miserable hide I ever hear that from you again. Because you do have someone. You have me. Do you understand? You have _me_."

Link stared at him. He felt something warm and soft spread out from his chest. It settled the churning in his stomach, and it moved through his arms and legs and up through his head until his whole body felt warm, slightly tingly, and very calm. He swallowed hard.

Rusl gave him a small shake. "Do you understand me?"

Link nodded. "Yes." He felt his face growing hot, and he blinked a couple of times. "Yes, I understand."

Rusl pulled him close again, and Link buried his face in a broad shoulder, trembling as he fought back his tears.

"Thank you," said Link.

"Hush," said Rusl, and he ran his broad hand through Link's hair as the boy sobbed into his shoulder.

* * *

When Ralis was ordered back to bed, he went without a fuss. Telma wanted to stay and watch over him. "Make sure he doesn't get any more bright ideas," she said, shooting Ralis a look that was probably meant to be intimidating but mostly came across as affectionate.

Renado put a hand on Telma's shoulder. "I think he's learned his lesson," he said. "Isn't that right, young man?"

"Yes, sir," said Ralis. "I'll stay here. I'll do whatever you say. I promise."

Telma didn't look entirely convinced, but she allowed herself to be led from the room. Link started to follow Rusl, as well, but Ralis called out his name, stopping him.

Link looked at Ralis, then he looked back at Rusl, who was giving him a very pointed look. "Just one minute," said Link. "I'm not going to do anything. I just want to talk to him."

Rusl sighed. He pointed a finger at Link. "I'm coming back in five minutes. You'd better have cleared out."

"Yes, sir."

Rusl left the room, shaking his head.

Link turned to Ralis. "Are you okay?"

Ralis didn't look at him. He was gazing into a corner of the room, an odd little half-smile on his lips.

"Ralis?"

"She's here, Link," he said.

Link's eyes popped. He glanced quickly around the room. "Right now? Where?"

"Right there," said Ralis. "She's smiling at me."

Link followed Ralis's gaze, but he saw nothing.

"You can't see her," said Ralis. "That's all right."

Link put a hand on Ralis's arm. "What's she saying?"

"She was cross with me for endangering you like that," said Ralis. "Endangering myself." He turned to look at Link. "I'm sorry."

Link shook his head. "Don't be. I shouldn't have let you go."

Ralis turned back to the corner. He smiled. "She says you have a kind heart. She says you understand me."

Link smiled. He nodded.

Ralis cocked his head, as though listening, and his face grew somber. He nodded. "I will."

"What did she say?" said Link.

Ralis ignored him. "No," he said to the wall. "I understand." There was another pause, and the prince's eyes began to well with tears. "I love you, too," he whispered. "Good-bye… Mother."

From the way his eyes drooped, Link guessed the queen was gone. Forever? It was impossible to tell.

"She says I must be strong," said Ralis. "For my kingdom. She was almost gone when she heard us at the tomb. She came back, this time, but she won't be able to again."

Link nodded. "Sometimes, you just have to move forward. Make do with what you have."

Ralis smiled through his tears. "Yes."

Link took Ralis's arm in both his hands. "Ralis," he said. He looked fiercely into the boy's eyes. "Don't forget her. Your mother. Don't ever forget her face."

Ralis returned his gaze. "I won't," he said.

"Promise me."

"I promise," said Ralis. "I won't forget."

Link released his arm. "Good," he said. He went to the door. "Good night, Ralis."

"Good night, Link," said Ralis. "And—thank you."

Link shut the door. He glanced toward Rusl's room, door halfway open, light spilling into the hall. He gave a little smile.

"No, Ralis," he said quietly. "Thank you."

The end.


End file.
